movie review

Southern Girl Movie Review – Dark Shadows

A few weeks back, my mom received some movie passes to a theater in My Hometown, SC and decided she wanted to take me with her.  Since I was coming home for Memorial Day weekend, she wanted to use them then.  She also wanted to see “Think Like a Man”.  I told her this particular theater probably would not be playing that movie by the time I came home, but she was adamant about waiting.  Well, I was right.  So she and I decided to see “Dark Shadows”.  I love Tim Burton and Johnny Depp together, and my mom loved the original show when she was growing up.  Not to mention, we used to watch the mini-series together when I was little.  So we decided to make a date of it on Memorial Day.  And my aunt came along.  Sad to say, this movie left a lot to be desired…like A LOT…

The film was so bad Southern Mom AND Southern Aunt walked out on it.  Southern Aunt walked out first; my mom left about 10 minutes after she did.  My aunt was expecting it to be scary like the original series.  My mom was expecting it to be a little less…sexual (really it was just one scene that made her leave).  I was just expecting a well-written film. 

I never thought I would say this about a Tim Burton film, but this movie was boring.  Like I started to drift off to sleep boring.  There’s not just one thing that I can tell you about this film that made it so bad.  It was the whole thing.  The end was ridiculous.  Some things in the plot could have been better executed. 

I apologized to Southern Mom when she came back to get me (I mean, I did want to see how the stupid thing ended) for picking this movie and wasting her passes.  She was very gracious and said it wasn’t my fault and that it was ok.  So, if you’re thinking about seeing it…don’t.  Until next time, I’m just a Southern girl…in the city.

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Southern Girl Movie Review- Black Swan

Before I start talking about this movie, can I just gloat for a minute??? I KNEW the Packers and Steelers would be victorious this weekend.  Sorry to all of you Bears and Jets fan, but this just wasn’t your season, though you all did a great job!  (And Mark Boo, don’t worry, I’ll be to the NY soon to make you feel better!)  Ok, now that football is out of the way…

I saw “Black Swan” for the second time this weekend.  The first time I saw it, it was passed my bedtime, and I started to doze a little, not to mention it wasn’t quite what I expected.  But I liked it and wanted to review it; I knew to do so I would have to see it again.  So I was SUPER-excited that my friend V. Gray J. wanted to see it with me!   In a word-GREAT!!! I love this movie.  The cinematography was great, the special effects were great…just about everything was great!  I wouldn’t mind seeing it again, not to mention it will be added to my DVD collection.  Some things I could do without-Nina’s overbearing mother; she reminded me of a ballet version of Piper Laurie in “Carrie”-crazy.  And I kept trying to figure out if Nina was supposed to be a child or an adult.  Maybe that was part of my problem with her overbearing mother.  Also, the scene with Lily and Nina…I’m sure guys like it and maybe it was a sign of Nina’s independence, but it was just a bit much for me, but whatever…pressing on.  Of course Thomas was the perfect leery predator who was trying to prey on the weak.  I LOVED that Natalie Portman (and Mila) did her own dancing.  I took ballet and jazz as a child, and watching this movie kinda made me miss it.  But after I see what real ballerinas have to deal with (no thanks to bulimia), I’ll pass.   I had a great discussion with some co-workers today about trying to figure out what really happened and what occurred in Nina’s mind.   I highly recommend you all go see it…like right now…

A movie that not only leaves me wondering afterwards but also makes me want to see it a third time is really something.  That doesn’t happen to me…ever.  If you saw the movie, what did you think?  If you didn’t, do you want to?  Now, I know some guys will be turned off because they’re macho and don’t want to see people dancing ballet.  But this is so much more than that.  This movie is a psychological thriller…keyword being “psychological”.   It really makes you ask yourself, “What would you do to be perfect?”  Until next time, I’m just a Southern girl…in the city!

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Southern Girl Movie Review: N-Secure

Good morning, folks!  It’s another week, another dollar.  But I’m happy it’s Monday (did I just say that?), maybe because I had an awesome Sunday!!  In any event, this past Saturday, my “auntie” Madeline and I went to go see “N-Secure”, starring Essence Atkins, Denise Boutte, Tempestt Bledsoe, Lamman Rucker, Nephew Tommy (from “The Steve Harvey Morning Show“, Elise Neal, and Cordell Moore.  Madeline saw the info for the movie first, and after she showed me the trailer, I was hyped about going to see the movie.  I truly believe in supporting black businesses and films, and this was a movie that was not made by Tyler Perry, so I was interested to see what it was all about.  Most importantly, the movie dealt with a topic that is not talked about in the Black community as much as it should be-domestic violence.

As usual, this review is going to tell some things that happened in the movie, so if you plan on seeing it, I suggest you stop reading now.   In a nutshell, I really didn’t like this film.  As one moviegoer behind me said, he “…would rather watch ‘Pootie Tang’…in Spanish.”   The acting was pretty good, but the script was horrible.  The parts that were supposed to be funny weren’t, there wasn’t enough development on story lines that I felt were important to the plot, and I wished they would have discovered ALL the dirty deeds David did.  For instance, Denise Boutte’s character, Tina, was supposed to be a gold-digger, based on a reaction I saw from her cousin and the way she looked around David’s (Cordell Moore) house when she walked in.  While the story sucked, it did show how some women will (realistically) stay with a man who is abusive, controlling, and selfish just so he will take care of them.  It also shows how abusers will buy their girlfriends/wives gifts to appease them and to get their women to “obey” them and do as they wish. 

Thanks to Southern Mom, I found out that October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, so in that sense I’m glad I saw this movie so I could bring domestice violence to your attention.  I give the movie 2 out of 10 stars.  If I were you, I wouldn’t knock down anybody’s doors to go see it.  Maybe if it comes to the dollar movie in your city you may want to go. 

If you saw the movie, what did you think about it?  If you know of anyone that is a victim of domestic violence or you think they’re a victim, encourage them to tell and get their abuser behind bars.  When a person stays in an abusive relationship, it only gets worse.  Unfortunately, the only way some women (and men) get out is by death.  And we don’t want that to happen to anyone; these are tragedies that do not need to occur.  Until next time, I’m just a Southern girl…in the city.

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Southern Girl Movie Review: Takers

As promised, I went to see “Takers” this weekend, and I’m so happy I did!  It was a great movie, with some things that made me go “Hmmmmm….”  This movie had action, gun fights, police chases, and lots of eye candy.  And EVERYONE was sexy, without trying to be.  One thing I did notice is that there was only one female (Zoe Saldana) who is well-known, and even her part was small, so the men were definitely able to shine.  I do want to warn you that if you haven’t seen the movie, you may want to skip this post, because I may give away some of the plot. But if you don’t mind and are going to see it anyway, keep reading!

I met my girl Beverly in Chinatown to see the first showing yesterday.  We both wanted to see it, but didn’t want to go by ourselves, so we made a Girls’ Day of it.  The movie was well written, well directed, and well acted.  It was a little slow starting, but once the action started to take place, I was on the edge of my seat.  I loved T.I.’s “Billy Bad A$$” character, Idris Elba as the leader of the pack, Paul Walker as the 2nd in Command, Hayden Christensen and Michael Ealy as the brains, and Chris Brown as the cute little brother.  All of the guys held their own and did an amazing job!  Who knew Chris Brown could act?  And his chase scene with Matt Dillon and Jay Hernandez??? He was SMOKING them!  Jumping over cars and buses, scaling buildings, and running through the streets of LA.  He was unstoppable.  I’m excited to see his future acting endeavors.  Another highlight for me was Ghost’s (aka T.I.) play-by-play activity during the actual robbery.  I’m not sure who he was talking to, but Beverly and I were cracking up!  And all this to say that the way Chris and Michael (aka Jesse and Jake) died left a lot to be desired.  As Beverly said, “Cleo died better.”  But I loved how T.I.’s character turned on his crew, and let everyone know that at the end of the day, he was out for self.

“Takers” opened at #1!!!  I really enjoyed this movie and will definitely add it to my DVD collection.  Quietly, I’m going to see it again tomorrow.  🙂 I was happy to support my fellow Florida A&M Rattler Will Packer, who served as one of the producers, and Rainforest Films.  If you haven’t seen it, go…NOW!!! If you did see “Takers” this weekend, what did you think?   Would you tell your friends and family to go see it?  Is there anything about the plot that you would change?  Until next time, I’m just a Southern girl…in the city!

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